As the new City Council president, Cory Storch will have a lot of power over how the meetings are conducted. He is taking this responsibility very seriously, as his blog post Friday attests. Members of the public, especially those who often comment at the council meetings, would do well to take the rules of conduct into account in 2016, because they will be honored by this council president. In case you missed it, the link below goes to the post.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Sights on a Walk
Sunday's unseasonably warm weather inspired me to walk downtown and I came across a number of interesting sights.
On Park Avenue, I spied a honeycomb structure on the sidewalk and looked up to see where it had fallen from a building. It might have been a wasps' nest. These intricate insect homes are amazing no matter where they turn up.
I could hear drumming and chanting from a new occult shop across the street and on the way back saw people dancing to the rhythms.
After visiting the ATM at PNC Bank, I went to the Dollar General store on West Front Street to look for some things and made a few purchases. Next, I checked the progress of murals in the Queen's Courtyard, behind the former Queen City Savings building,
In Municipal Parking Lot 6 (where a parking deck may be in the future), I snapped a photo of my favorite tree, behind the former Elks building. I believe it is an Elm.
Urban children will make playthings out of any object, I remembered from my own childhood where kids on my block routinely trespassed and climbed all over things. Later I saw this group on the second story of a North Avenue mosque, but they also saw me and I got a few catcalls for looking at them.
On Gavett Place, I noticed that the old Budget Rent-A-Car building had been demolished. It was part of the site of Art Lofts I, which will have 20 apartments and an entertainment center.
Passing the demolition site on North Avenue, I marveled once again at the crooked Mafia wall, so different from the precise ones I saw online when I looked up the term. it is meant to hold landfill in place
Nearing Park & Seventh, I was dismayed to see trash in the planters. This has been a chronic problem ever since the planters were installed many years ago. What will it take to get people to use the nearby trash receptacles?
The afternoon had been sunny to that point, and then as if to mark the sad ending of my walk, the skies darkened and big raindrops fell.
--Bernice
On Park Avenue, I spied a honeycomb structure on the sidewalk and looked up to see where it had fallen from a building. It might have been a wasps' nest. These intricate insect homes are amazing no matter where they turn up.
I could hear drumming and chanting from a new occult shop across the street and on the way back saw people dancing to the rhythms.
After visiting the ATM at PNC Bank, I went to the Dollar General store on West Front Street to look for some things and made a few purchases. Next, I checked the progress of murals in the Queen's Courtyard, behind the former Queen City Savings building,
"One Plainfield"
A tribute to development
City Hall (with the old yews?)
On East Second, I saw that the rehabilitated Mirons Warehouse, now 12 apartments with commercial space at ground level, has new shutters.
Here is the same tree in December 2013.
Going across East Second Street on the way back, I heard a bunch of kids screaming excitedly and saw them running down an alley and clambering over a big construction lift.
Urban children will make playthings out of any object, I remembered from my own childhood where kids on my block routinely trespassed and climbed all over things. Later I saw this group on the second story of a North Avenue mosque, but they also saw me and I got a few catcalls for looking at them.
On Gavett Place, I noticed that the old Budget Rent-A-Car building had been demolished. It was part of the site of Art Lofts I, which will have 20 apartments and an entertainment center.
Passing the demolition site on North Avenue, I marveled once again at the crooked Mafia wall, so different from the precise ones I saw online when I looked up the term. it is meant to hold landfill in place
Nearing Park & Seventh, I was dismayed to see trash in the planters. This has been a chronic problem ever since the planters were installed many years ago. What will it take to get people to use the nearby trash receptacles?
The afternoon had been sunny to that point, and then as if to mark the sad ending of my walk, the skies darkened and big raindrops fell.
--Bernice
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Welcome Signs Held for Lack of Sponsors
Monday's City Council agenda includes a resolution to reimburse the only three businesses that made donations for "Welcome to Plainfield" signs.
Solicitations were made to businesses in Plainfield's Urban Enterprise Zone in August 2014 and in September 2014 to an expanded list for a total of 253 contacts. Another 163 vendors in Plainfield, Scotch Plains and South Plainfield as well as real estate agents and bankers were invited to be sponsors in October 2014, but despite all the efforts, only three agreed to donate $2,000 each.
As listed in the resolution, those who agreed to be sponsors were Rapp's Pharmacy, the law office of Thomas E. Hood and a transportation company, Amaker & Porterfield. They will be reimbursed.
The sign design had been somewhat controversial when unveiled in 2014, as noted here and here. The new signs were meant to replace older ones at gateways to the city, many of which were damaged or deteriorated.
Commentary: The concept deserves another try, perhaps with a simpler design. City merchants and professionals receive many requests for donations; maybe there is another source of funds to be found. Recently developers have been asked to consider contributions to community organizations or facilities. If welcome signs are an allowable category, a developer might be inclined to donate toward the cost. One developer has agreed to maintain Plainwood Square Park and contribute to costs of events there, which might free up some Special Improvement District money for welcome signs. All avenues are worth exploring.
Note to readers: Friday's posts on City Council agenda items may deserve a look if you were too busy to catch them earlier.
--Bernice
Solicitations were made to businesses in Plainfield's Urban Enterprise Zone in August 2014 and in September 2014 to an expanded list for a total of 253 contacts. Another 163 vendors in Plainfield, Scotch Plains and South Plainfield as well as real estate agents and bankers were invited to be sponsors in October 2014, but despite all the efforts, only three agreed to donate $2,000 each.
As listed in the resolution, those who agreed to be sponsors were Rapp's Pharmacy, the law office of Thomas E. Hood and a transportation company, Amaker & Porterfield. They will be reimbursed.
The sign design had been somewhat controversial when unveiled in 2014, as noted here and here. The new signs were meant to replace older ones at gateways to the city, many of which were damaged or deteriorated.
Commentary: The concept deserves another try, perhaps with a simpler design. City merchants and professionals receive many requests for donations; maybe there is another source of funds to be found. Recently developers have been asked to consider contributions to community organizations or facilities. If welcome signs are an allowable category, a developer might be inclined to donate toward the cost. One developer has agreed to maintain Plainwood Square Park and contribute to costs of events there, which might free up some Special Improvement District money for welcome signs. All avenues are worth exploring.
Note to readers: Friday's posts on City Council agenda items may deserve a look if you were too busy to catch them earlier.
--Bernice
Friday, January 8, 2016
Will City Put BOE Elections Back in November?
Rather than try to write about this resolution, I am just publishing it. It's likely that BOE officials will attend Monday's meeting to object to it. The school board allegedly voted in November to move the election back to April, though the resolution has not been made public. (OPRA requests are in.)
A council majority would have to move this resolution to the Jan. 19 regular meeting for a vote. If moved, it would have to be passed by a majority. The specter of litigation may also be also lurking.
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE PLAINFIELD BOARD OF EDUCATION AS THE FIRST TUESDAY AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER
WHEREAS, on February 13, 2012, the City Council adopted a Resolution to change the election date of school board members from the third Tuesday in April to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1; and
WHEREAS, on November 10, 2015, the Plainfield Board of Education adopted a Resolution to return the school board elections to the third Tuesday in April; and
WHEREAS, the Clerk of the City of Plainfield has estimated that the cost of returning the election to the third Tuesday in April would result in costs in excess of $100,000.00; and
WHEREAS, over 20,000 more Plainfield residents have voted in the four (4) school board elections held in November than in the prior four (4) elections held in April; and
WHEREAS, to the City Council’s knowledge, Plainfield’s Board of Education is the only board of
education to attempt to revert its election back to the third Tuesday in April; and
WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1 authorizes changing the election date of school board members
from the third Tuesday in April back to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (the General
Election); and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Plainfield believes that the financial interest of its
constituents is safeguarded by the State’s tax levy cap and the thorough review of the proposed school
budget by the Executive County Superintendent and the Executive County School Business Administrator;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Plainfield believes that more citizens will participate in
the selection of school board members at the General Election than on the third Tuesday in April and that
the higher level of participation will foster positive interest in our public schools; and
WHEREAS, adequate notice has been provided to the Plainfield Board of Education of the City
Council’s intention to adopt this Resolution pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1, the City Council of the City of Plainfield changes the annual election date for school board members from the third Tuesday in April to the November General Election, beginning in 2016; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, the annual organization meeting of the Plainfield Board of Education will
take place in the first week of January following the November General Election and that the board of education’s next organization meeting will take place in the first week of January 2017; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that pursuant to P.L. 2011, c. 202, members of the Plainfield Board of
Education whose terms would have expired by May, 2016 will continue to serve in office until the January 2017 organization meeting; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be transmitted to the Union County Clerk; the Union
County Board of Elections and/or Superintendent of Elections; the Plainfield Municipal Clerk and school board secretary or secretaries; the Department of State, Division of Elections; the Department of Education’s Executive County Superintendent; and the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution also be provided to the New Jersey School
Boards Association and New Jersey League of Municipalities.
Scheduled by the City Council January 11, 2016
A council majority would have to move this resolution to the Jan. 19 regular meeting for a vote. If moved, it would have to be passed by a majority. The specter of litigation may also be also lurking.
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE PLAINFIELD BOARD OF EDUCATION AS THE FIRST TUESDAY AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER
WHEREAS, on February 13, 2012, the City Council adopted a Resolution to change the election date of school board members from the third Tuesday in April to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1; and
WHEREAS, on November 10, 2015, the Plainfield Board of Education adopted a Resolution to return the school board elections to the third Tuesday in April; and
WHEREAS, the Clerk of the City of Plainfield has estimated that the cost of returning the election to the third Tuesday in April would result in costs in excess of $100,000.00; and
WHEREAS, over 20,000 more Plainfield residents have voted in the four (4) school board elections held in November than in the prior four (4) elections held in April; and
WHEREAS, to the City Council’s knowledge, Plainfield’s Board of Education is the only board of
education to attempt to revert its election back to the third Tuesday in April; and
WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1 authorizes changing the election date of school board members
from the third Tuesday in April back to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (the General
Election); and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Plainfield believes that the financial interest of its
constituents is safeguarded by the State’s tax levy cap and the thorough review of the proposed school
budget by the Executive County Superintendent and the Executive County School Business Administrator;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Plainfield believes that more citizens will participate in
the selection of school board members at the General Election than on the third Tuesday in April and that
the higher level of participation will foster positive interest in our public schools; and
WHEREAS, adequate notice has been provided to the Plainfield Board of Education of the City
Council’s intention to adopt this Resolution pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1, the City Council of the City of Plainfield changes the annual election date for school board members from the third Tuesday in April to the November General Election, beginning in 2016; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, the annual organization meeting of the Plainfield Board of Education will
take place in the first week of January following the November General Election and that the board of education’s next organization meeting will take place in the first week of January 2017; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that pursuant to P.L. 2011, c. 202, members of the Plainfield Board of
Education whose terms would have expired by May, 2016 will continue to serve in office until the January 2017 organization meeting; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be transmitted to the Union County Clerk; the Union
County Board of Elections and/or Superintendent of Elections; the Plainfield Municipal Clerk and school board secretary or secretaries; the Department of State, Division of Elections; the Department of Education’s Executive County Superintendent; and the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services; be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution also be provided to the New Jersey School
Boards Association and New Jersey League of Municipalities.
Scheduled by the City Council January 11, 2016
Municipal ID Card Proposed
A proposed municipal ID card would benefit a broad spectrum of city dwellers, including immigrants, seniors, homeless, parolees and individuals with a new gender identity.
An ordinance creating a municipal ID program will be up for consideration at Monday's City Council agenda-fixing session and could be up for passage on first reading at the January 19 regular meeting. Final passage might happen by February.
Implementation would then require establishment of a new department to administer the program. Applicants would have to pay a $15 fee ($5 for elders or children over 12) and submit proof of identity and residency using any documents from a wide array listed in the ordinance. All city departments would then accept the cards for services, unless prohibited by state or federal law, and the city would encourage acceptance of the card by banks and other institutions.
The card would contain the holder's name, address, date of birth, eye color, height, gender, emergency contact, home and mobile phone numbers, card issue and expiration dates and a message, "If found, please return to Plainfield Municipal ID Program."
The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice advocates for municipal ID cards and names Newark and Roselle as two municipalities that issue them. Their website has some of the frequently-asked questions about such cards. A local organization had a controversial ID card program in 2013 and more recently, a Latino blog writer pressed the Plainfield Advisory Commission on Hispanic Affairs to come up with an ID card.
In presenting the ordinance, officials note a "dramatic decrease in robberies/armed robberies against undocumented immigrant workers" in New Haven, Conn. after the implementation of city identification cards there. The cards are described as potentially helpful to displaced youth in addition to residents and immigrants.
The City Council agenda-fixing session is 7:30 p.m. Monday in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
An ordinance creating a municipal ID program will be up for consideration at Monday's City Council agenda-fixing session and could be up for passage on first reading at the January 19 regular meeting. Final passage might happen by February.
Implementation would then require establishment of a new department to administer the program. Applicants would have to pay a $15 fee ($5 for elders or children over 12) and submit proof of identity and residency using any documents from a wide array listed in the ordinance. All city departments would then accept the cards for services, unless prohibited by state or federal law, and the city would encourage acceptance of the card by banks and other institutions.
The card would contain the holder's name, address, date of birth, eye color, height, gender, emergency contact, home and mobile phone numbers, card issue and expiration dates and a message, "If found, please return to Plainfield Municipal ID Program."
The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice advocates for municipal ID cards and names Newark and Roselle as two municipalities that issue them. Their website has some of the frequently-asked questions about such cards. A local organization had a controversial ID card program in 2013 and more recently, a Latino blog writer pressed the Plainfield Advisory Commission on Hispanic Affairs to come up with an ID card.
In presenting the ordinance, officials note a "dramatic decrease in robberies/armed robberies against undocumented immigrant workers" in New Haven, Conn. after the implementation of city identification cards there. The cards are described as potentially helpful to displaced youth in addition to residents and immigrants.
The City Council agenda-fixing session is 7:30 p.m. Monday in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Let's Start Over in 2016
Fremont Troll, Seattle
I just deleted several comments and I am not printing several others. It appears my visit to the Board of Education Organizational Meeting awakened a troll, identifiable by the repeated use of certain words in multiple comments.One comment branded me as "so obsessed with the BOE that you will accept anything." I hardly think attendance at one meeting on Dec. 22, where I sat and listened while crocheting, and then at the Jan. 5 organizational meeting where I took notes, qualifies me as being obsessed. Nor can one blog post mean that I am "hell bent on attacking the Campbells." In addition, perhaps exactly because I do not "fall for anything," I have exercised my right to make a couple of OPRA requests for resolutions that did not seem to be on the published agendas.
The school board has nine members elected by the public and makes decisions affecting 7,500 children, using $180 million in local and state taxpayers funds. Its meetings are subject to the Sunshine Law. It is not a closed corporation and the presence of a reporter or blogger does not constitute an attack.
As for comments on the blog, there was a time when no comments were allowed. I decided to allow them in recent years, but I am the arbiter of what gets published. Maybe I have been too lenient at times. The best comments speak to the topic or issues in the blog post, or add information. Let's keep the comment section as a forum. Please, no name-calling or insults in 2016.
--Bernice
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
April BOE Elections Will Shorten Terms
Among other ramifications of changing the school board elections back to April after four years of November elections, all board members who won three-year terms in the past three years would find their terms shortened by about eight months.
The phenomenon is the opposite of what happened to April winners in the three years preceding the change - they all had eight months more to serve than they bargained for.
Here are the affected November winners who took office on Jan. 1 of the following year:
2015 Board of Education
Richard Wyatt Jr. 1,641
John C. Campbell 1,831
Emily Morgan 1,797
2014 Board of Education
David M. Rutherford 2,379
Carletta D. Jeffers 2,318
Terrence S. Bellamy Sr. 2,012
2013 Board of Education
Wilma G. CAMPBELL 2,500
Frederick D. MOORE, SR. 1,520
Deborah CLARKE 1,615
While voters whose choices prevailed in the three elections preceding the 2012 change got a "freebie" in terms of extra representation, voters who backed the individuals above may feel short-changed - except supporters of any who might win re-election in April.
The phenomenon is the opposite of what happened to April winners in the three years preceding the change - they all had eight months more to serve than they bargained for.
Here are the affected November winners who took office on Jan. 1 of the following year:
2015 Board of Education
Richard Wyatt Jr. 1,641
John C. Campbell 1,831
Emily Morgan 1,797
2014 Board of Education
David M. Rutherford 2,379
Carletta D. Jeffers 2,318
Terrence S. Bellamy Sr. 2,012
2013 Board of Education
Wilma G. CAMPBELL 2,500
Frederick D. MOORE, SR. 1,520
Deborah CLARKE 1,615
While voters whose choices prevailed in the three elections preceding the 2012 change got a "freebie" in terms of extra representation, voters who backed the individuals above may feel short-changed - except supporters of any who might win re-election in April.
For those who missed it, here is a summary of important dates for an April BOE election.
Seasoned campaigners such as Wilma Campbell could enjoy an advantage in a return to April elections, as newcomers would have to hustle to put together funding and backers for a campaign in the spring. Some potential candidates may even think they still have until the end of July to get ready to file.
The change might also challenge organizations that usually hold forums or otherwise try to educate voters about school board elections.
These factors are in addition to the cost of moving the election, as explained by Councilwoman Rebecca Williams on her blog.
We should know by the end of January whether or not the move will go through. If you know anyone who has been thinking of running for the school board, alert them now to pay attention to this possible change in important election dates.
--Bernice
These factors are in addition to the cost of moving the election, as explained by Councilwoman Rebecca Williams on her blog.
We should know by the end of January whether or not the move will go through. If you know anyone who has been thinking of running for the school board, alert them now to pay attention to this possible change in important election dates.
--Bernice
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